Family of Asma Rani may pardon her killer

LAKKI MARWAT: The family of Asma Rani has reportedly agreed to pardon her killer, who was awarded the death sentence by a court, sources said.

Asma Rani, a 3rd year MBBS student at the Ayub Medical College Abbottabad was shot dead by Mujahid Afridi in broad daylight in Kohat on January 27, 2018, allegedly over rejection of the marriage proposal by the latter.

Soon after committing the murder, the accused had fled to a Gulf State where he was arrested by the International Police (Interpol) and was brought back made to face the court of law.

The accused family was said to be politically and financially strong and had allegedly contacted the family of the slain student time and again for a settlement but in vain.

Her father, Ghulam Dastageer, had later contacted the elders and notables of Marwat tribe and sought their help to stand by his family to seek justice.

The members of Marwat Qaumi Jirga headed by its chairman Al-haj Aslam Khan Isakkhel had approached the then Inspector General of Police, Salahuddin Mahsud, and urged him to take a stern action against the accused.

The then Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Saqib Nisar, had also ordered the KP police to arrest and produce the accused in the court of law at the earliest after the case made headlines in the newspapers.

The family sources said the relatives of the accused launched hectic efforts to save his life after the court awarded him death sentence while his two facilitators, Sadeequllah and Shah Zeb were acquitted of the charge.

Releasing a video message to social media, Ghulam Dastageer, father of late Asma Rani, mentioned: “I have pardoned Mujahid Afridi just for the sake of Almighty Allah and did not make any demand for money from them. I request all the elders and notables of Marwat tribe to come on the next Sunday to observe settlement practice here in Kohat”.

After this message, most of the elders like the former district nazim Ishfaq Ahmed Khan and head of the Marwat Reformative Movement, Rasheed Ahmed, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Malik Imran Khan, former judge and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Sher Afzal Khan advocate openly opposed the settlement by saying that Mujahid Afridi be hanged to death so that no one could dare harm and kill women.